U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-65 The 2003 Integrated Acoustic and Trawl Survey of Pacific Hake, Merluccius productus, in U.S. and Canadian Waters off the Pacific Coast June 2005
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCENational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNational Marine Fisheries Service
NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-65
The 2003 Integrated Acousticand Trawl Survey of Pacific Hake,Merluccius productus,in U.S. and Canadian Waters offthe Pacific Coast
June 2005
NOAA Technical MemorandumNMFS Series
The Northwest Fisheries Science Center of the NationalMarine Fisheries Service, NOAA, uses the NOAATechnical Memorandum NMFS series to issue infor-mal scientific and technical publications when com-plete formal review and editorial processing are notappropriate or feasible due to time constraints. Docu-ments published in this series may be referenced in thescientific and technical literature.
The NMFS-NWFSC Technical Memorandum series ofthe Northwest Fisheries Science Center continues theNMFS-F/NWC series established in 1970 by theNorthwest & Alaska Fisheries Science Center, whichhas since been split into the Northwest FisheriesScience Center and the Alaska Fisheries ScienceCenter. The NMFS-AFSC Technical Memorandumseries is now being used by the Alaska FisheriesScience Center.
Reference throughout this document to trade namesdoes not imply endorsement by the National MarineFisheries Service, NOAA.
This document should be cited as follows:
Fleischer, G.W., K.D. Cooke, P.H. Ressler, R.E.Thomas, S.K. de Blois, L.C. Hufnagle, A.R.Kronlund, J.A. Holmes, and C.D. Wilson. 2005. The2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacifichake, Merluccius productus, in U.S. and Canadianwaters off the Pacific coast. U.S. Dept. Commer.,NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NWFSC-65, 45 p.
NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-65
The 2003 Integrated Acousticand Trawl Survey of Pacific Hake,Merluccius productus,in U.S. and Canadian Waters offthe Pacific Coast
Guy W. Fleischer, Ken D. Cooke1, Patrick H. Ressler,Rebecca E. Thomas, Steve K. de Blois, Lawrence C. Hufnagle,A.R. Kronlund1, John A. Holmes1, and Chris D. Wilson2
Northwest Fisheries Science CenterFishery Resource Analysis and Monitoring Division2725 Montlake Boulevard EastSeattle, Washington 98112
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science BranchStock Assessment Division, Pacific Biological StationNanaimo, British Columbia V9T 6N7
Alaska Fisheries Science CenterResource Assessment and Conservation Engineering Division7600 Sand Point Way NortheastSeattle, Washington 98115
June 2005
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCECarlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationVice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. USN (Ret), Administrator
National Marine Fisheries ServiceWilliam T. Hogarth, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries
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Most NOAA Technical Memorandums NMFS-NWFSCare available online at the Northwest Fisheries ScienceCenter web site (http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov)
Copies are also available from:National Technical Information Service5285 Port Royal RoadSpringfield, VA 22161phone orders (1-800-553-6847)e-mail orders ([email protected])
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Table of Contents
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... v
List of Tables ..............................................................................................................................................vii
Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... ix
Materials and Methods.................................................................................................................................. 3
Acoustic Data Acquisition........................................................................................................................ 3
Acoustic Survey Design and Operations .................................................................................................. 4
Fishing Operations and Biological Sampling........................................................................................... 4
Physical Oceanographic Data Collection ................................................................................................. 7
Acoustic Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 7
Acoustic System Calibration .................................................................................................................... 9
Appendix B ................................................................................................................................................. 43
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List of Figures
Figure 1. Survey track design used during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. ........................................... 5
Figure 2. Details of acoustic transect lines and locations and haul sequence of midwater and bottom trawls during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. ............................................. 11
Figure 3. Details of acoustic transect lines and locations and haul sequence of midwater and bottom trawls during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. ............................................. 12
Figure 4. Details of acoustic transect lines and locations and haul sequence of midwater and bottom trawls during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. ............................................. 13
Figure 5. Surface temperature contours and locations of temperature and salinity profile measurements taken during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. ............................................. 27
Figure 6. Acoustic area backscattering attributed to Pacific hake along transects completed off the west coast of the United States and Canada during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey ...................................................................................................................... 28
Figure 7. Box-and-whisker plot of the length frequency distributions of Pacific hake for trawl tows conducted as part of the 2003 U.S. and Canada integrated acoustic and trawl survey. ..................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 8. Age-length distribution of Pacific hake comparing INPFC areas from specimens collected during the U.S. and Canada integrated acoustic and trawl survey........................... 31
Figure 9. Estimated biomass of Pacific hake by age class comparing INPFC areas for the 2003 U.S. and Canada integrated acoustic and trawl survey................................................... 32
Figure 10. Biomass estimates of Pacific hake, 1977–2003. ..................................................................... 33
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List of Tables
Table 1. Calibration sphere measurements performed as part of the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. ............. 14
Table 2. Trawl station and catch data summary from the integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake. ............................................................................................................ 16
Table 3. Catch by species from Polish rope midwater trawl hauls conducted by the CCGS W. E. Ricker. ................................................................................................................ 21
Table 4. Catch by species from Yankee 36 bottom trawl hauls conducted by the CCGS W. E. Ricker. ................................................................................................................ 24
Table 5. Estimated biomass of Pacific hake by age for each INPFC area............................................. 34
Table 6. Estimated numbers of Pacific hake by age for each INPFC area. ........................................... 35
Table 7. Biomass sampling error based on post-survey stratification of transects................................ 37
Table A-1. Analytical groups of transects, hauls, and composite mean length and expected mean backscattering cross section values for pooled hauls used to characterize the Pacific hake along corresponding transects. ...................................................................... 41
Table B-1. Individual transect coordinates, length, corresponding area, and estimated Pacific hake population numbers and biomass in metric tons................................................. 43
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Executive Summary
The 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake was conducted by joint U.S. and Canadian science teams aboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) W.E. Ricker from 29 June to 1 September 2003. This survey covered the west coast of North America from south of Monterey, California (36.1EN) to the Dixon Entrance area in Canada (51.4EN). A total of 115 line transects, generally oriented east-west and spaced at 10-nautical mile intervals, were completed. During the survey, aggregations of Pacific hake were found along the continental shelf break from just north of San Francisco Bay (38EN) to Queen Charlotte Sound (52EN). Peak concentrations of hake were observed north of Cape Mendocino, California (≈40.5EN), to Cape Blanco, Oregon (≈43EN), in the area spanning the U.S.-Canadian border off Cape Flattery and La Perouse Bank (≈48.5EN), and in Queen Charlotte Sound (≈51EN). Associated midwater and bottom trawl samples showed the majority of the coastal stock in 2003 was dominated by the 1999 year class (age 4). In tows south of 48EN, most fish were at an average size of 43–44 cm; larger hake were found farther north.
The coast-wide estimates of Pacific hake abundance totaled 3.35 billion fish weighing 1.84 million metric tons. Age and length distributions showed the population was dominated by age-4 fish. The 1999 year class contributed about 64% of the total coast-wide number and 60% of the total coast-wide biomass. The 1999 year class was prevalent across all regions, contributing 55%, 74%, 74%, 58%, and 33% to the total biomass for the Monterey, Eureka, South Columbia, Vancouver-North Columbia, and Canada statistical areas, respectively. The recruitment of the 1999 year class and the resulting increase in coast-wide biomass is significant. The 2003 biomass estimate of 1.84 million metric tons represents a 1.1 million metric ton or 250% increase over the biomass estimate made for 2001. The 2003 estimate ranks as the fifth largest coast-wide estimate in the time series and is the largest estimated population biomass of coastal Pacific hake since 1992.
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Acknowledgments
We extend our sincere gratitude to Captains D. E. Wensley and S. Webb and their respective officers and crews for the successful completion of one of the largest survey efforts yet undertaken with the CCGS W. E. Ricker. Their devotion to and professional assistance to the Canadian and U.S. investigative personnel were outstanding throughout the cruise. We also want to thank all others who supported and helped make this a successful survey, notably the personnel from the NOAA FRAM Division, Canadian Coast Guard Regional Operations Centre, Pacific Region, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada Stock Assessment Division.
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Introduction
Pacific hake (Merluccius productus), colloquially known as Pacific whiting, is a cod-like groundfish species distributed off the west coast of North America. This species is one of a dozen commercially valuable species of Merluccid hakes from the genus Merluccius distributed in both hemispheres of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Alheit and Pitcher 1995). Worldwide, hake fisheries constitute nearly two million metric tons (mt) of catches annually (Alheit and Pitcher 1995). The coastal stock of Pacific hake is currently the most abundant groundfish population in the California Current system with recent annual harvests by U.S. and Canadian fishermen in excess of 200,000 mt (Helser et al. 2002). Smaller populations of Pacific hake occur in the major inlets of the North Pacific Ocean, including the Strait of Georgia (Kieser et al. 1998), Puget Sound, and the Gulf of California. Electrophoretic studies indicate that Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound populations are genetically distinct from the coastal population (Utter 1971). The coastal stock differs from the inshore populations by exhibiting larger body size, a pronounced seasonal migratory behavior, and patterns of normally low recruitment punctuated by infrequent but extremely large year classes.
The coastal Pacific hake stock typically ranges from Southern California to Queen Charlotte Sound (ca. 35°N–53°N latitude). Spawning generally occurs off south-central California during January–March; however, due to the difficulty of consistently locating major spawning concentrations, the specific spawning behavior of hake remains poorly understood (Saunders and McFarlane 1997). In the spring, adult Pacific hake migrate shoreward and to the north to feed along the continental shelf and slope from Northern California to Vancouver Island. In the summer, hake form extensive midwater aggregations that are distributed along the continental shelf break, with greatest densities located over bottom depths of 200–300 m (Dorn et al. 1994, Cooke et al. 1996).
Because of the economic and ecological value of coastal Pacific hake, acoustic surveys were established to assess the fish’s distribution, abundance, and biology. These surveys were conducted triennially under the aegis of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) since 1977 and annually along the Canadian west coast since 1990 by the Pacific Biological Station (PBS). The AFSC and the PBS carried out joint triennial coast-wide surveys in 1995, 1998, and 2001. (Following the 2001 survey, the responsibility of the U.S. portion of the joint survey was transferred to the Fishery Resource Analysis and Monitoring [FRAM] Division at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center [NWFSC]). These acoustic surveys are a key data source for the joint Canada-U.S. Pacific hake stock assessments (e.g., Helser et al. 2002, Helser et al. 2004). The time series of survey estimates of abundance and age composition are used in age-structured assessment models to estimate Pacific hake abundance, which are used in population projections to provide international harvest advice.
Pacific hake stock assessments before 1993 added abundance estimates derived from the U.S. bottom trawl and the acoustic surveys. Bottom groundfish trawl surveys conducted in summer concurrent to the acoustic surveys allowed the assessment of the near-bottom
component of the stock (Nelson and Dark 1985). Subsequent modeling efforts have treated each survey time series separately in evaluating trends in the population and have considered estimates from acoustic surveys since 1992 as the best estimates of total population biomass (Dorn 1996).
In this report, we document the operations and results of the coast-wide acoustic survey conducted during the summer of 2003, with the primary intent to provide the necessary age-specific abundance estimates of Pacific hake and related information for a subsequent stock assessment exercise (Helser et al. 2004).
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Materials and Methods
The equipment and the techniques employed have evolved over the 26-year history of this acoustic survey (Saunders et al. 1992, Cooke et al. 1996, Wilson and Guttormsen 1997, Wilson et al. 2000, Guttormsen et al. 2003). Improvements in both, especially the rapid and continuous technological advances in echo sounding systems and acoustic data processing, have advanced the capabilities of the survey. It is this current state of operations that the NWFSC inherited from the AFSC with the transfer of survey responsibility. In order to preserve the continuity of the time series, the NWFSC made a concerted effort to conduct the 2003 survey in accord with all established procedures and methods. Overall consistency in technique was accomplished by conducting frequent joint briefings by NWFSC, AFSC, and PBS scientists as part of the planning process, by NWFSC scientists reviewing the AFSC hake acoustic survey field manual and using specific survey details of the U.S. portion of the survey, and by having the participation of an experienced AFSC scientist on the initial leg of the 2003 survey.
The 2003 acoustic survey was conducted by joint U.S. and Canadian science teams aboard the Canadian Coast Guard ship (CCGS) W.E. Ricker (science cruise number 2003-16) using this vessel for the entire survey. The CCGS W.E. Ricker is a 58-m stern trawler equipped for fishery oceanographic research and has been used in the past by those responsible for the Canadian portion of the acoustic Pacific hake surveys. Earlier coast-wide acoustic surveys included the NOAA ship Research Vessel (RV) Miller Freeman. Intervessel comparisons involving the RV Miller Freeman and the CCGS W.E. Ricker were conducted during previous joint acoustic surveys. To assess whether differences occur between the two vessels, comparisons were made of fish backscatter measured by each vessel running in tandem along several identical courses (Guttormsen et al. 2003). Some potential vessel effects were detected, but not to a consistent degree sufficient to warrant separate treatment.
As in past efforts, this survey was performed July–September, targeting aggregations of adult Pacific hake along the continental shelf and upper slope from central California to north of Queen Charlotte Sound. The cruise tracks were executed starting from the southern extent of the survey area. Pacific hake exhibit reciprocating north-south seasonal migrations along the west coast (Bailey et al. 1982), posing an obvious sampling issue for the survey during the height of their movements. By late summer, the fish have generally completed their northward spread along the coast and are fully available to the survey (Nelson and Dark 1985).
Acoustic Data Acquisition
All acoustic data were collected with a SIMRAD EK500 scientific echo sounding system (SIMRAD 1993). Both SIMRAD 38-kHz and 120-kHz split-beam transducers were used aboard the CCGS W.E. Ricker, with the 38-kHz echo sounder the primary source for the quantitative Pacific hake backscatter measurements. The transducers were located on a hydraulic ram that was extended 1.2 m below the keel to 5.2 m below the surface during acoustic data collection. Sample rates were typically 0.6 Hz (1.6-second ping intervals), but slowed to as low as 0.4 Hz
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(2.5-second ping intervals) at greater water column depths. These system-determined rates were being controlled by EK500 sound propagation and internal processing constraints (i.e., EK500 operation setting of ping interval = 0.0 sec). Sampling ranges were set at 750 m for 38 kHz and 250 m for 120 kHz.
We logged all raw acoustic backscatter data (38-kHz and 120-kHz frequencies) using SonarData Echolog 500 software on computers equipped with external 400-GB hard drives and networked as a workgroup. The acoustic data files were stored in targeted directories and accrued to a maximum individual file size of 10 MB as a precaution to minimize any data loss in the event of a computer system failure. Data files collected between transects and off transect (i.e., during fishing operations) were stored in separate directories. Upon completion of each transect, the full collection of acoustic data files were immediately copied to a second hard drive. When sufficient backup data were accumulated (usually 7–9 transects), a third copy of the data files was archived to DVD media to ensure data safekeeping via redundancy.
Acoustic Survey Design and Operations
The Pacific hake population was surveyed along a series of parallel line transects that were generally oriented east-west and spaced at the established 10-nautical mile (nmi) interval (Figure 1), traversed sequentially in an alternating, or boustrophedonic, fashion. Logistically, the survey was conducted in four legs, designed to allow rotation of scientific and operations crews as well as time in port to allow ship fueling and provisioning.
We elected to use transects in 2003 identical to those covered in the 2001 survey, starting from south of Monterey Bay, California, and covering the area to the most northern extent at Dixon Entrance. Seafloor depth at the nearshore end of individual transects was typically 50 m. The offshore extent of individual transects typically ranged to depths of about 1500 m. Transects were extended deeper if Pacific hake aggregations were detected at or near the predetermined endpoints.
During acoustic data collection, the vessel’s speed was maintained at 4.6–5.1 m/sec (9–10 knots). Acoustic operations were run only during daylight hours (about 15 hours per day) when Pacific hake formed identifiable mesopelagic layers. Physical and biological oceanographic sampling operations were conducted at night. The past inclusion of coast-wide macrozooplankton collection was not attempted this year, because using a single vessel limited the amount of time we had to work with.
Fishing Operations and Biological Sampling
Trawl samples were used to classify the observed backscatter layers to species and size composition and to collect specimens of Pacific hake and other organisms. The number and locations of trawl sets were not pre-determined — other than an allowance for an expected total number of tows for each area, based on past surveys — but were dependent on the occurrence and pattern of backscattering layers observed at the time of the survey. Our goal was to obtain catches that were representative of the species composition and the size distribution of organisms detected acoustically in as many areas as was feasible within the constraints of vessel logistics
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Figure 1. Survey track design used during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. Different line types indicate the set of transects sounded during each individual leg of the cruise. International North Pacific Fisheries Commission (INPFC) statistical reporting areas and subareas as defined by Dorn (1996) are outlined for reference.
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and time. As such, coverage by trawling was not systematic but adaptive and individual tows did not require a standardized effort. Distinct layers of intense backscatter that were indicative of high densities of Pacific hake were the highest priority for trawl sample assignments, but other types of backscattering features, both in terms of marginal areas of low fish density and putative aggregations of species other than Pacific hake, were also sampled. We paid particular attention to perform tows at several locations along any single, extensive, and continuous aggregation of Pacific hake, or within the same area where discrete, vertical backscattering layers appeared.
We used pelagic and bottom trawls to conduct sampling. Pelagic trawling was performed with a Polish rope trawl consistent with previous CCGS W.E. Ricker surveys. This net has a 20-m vertical opening, a 1-cm codend mesh, and is deployed with a pair of 5-m2 USA JET (Model P) combination trawl doors (1,135 kg) and 80-m sweep wires with 300-kg chain weights. On- and near-bottom trawling was performed with a Poly-Yankee 36 research trawl modified with roller gear. This trawl net was constructed of 4-mm polyethylene twine and a codend with the same web and used a 2.5-cm liner. The hard-bottom ground line consisted of 43-cm wheels separated by 20-cm metal spacers that attached to 40-cm toggle chains. This design was a deliberate attempt to not fish hard on bottom (e.g., avoid flatfishes and other benthic fishes). The head rope was 18.3 m and produced vertical openings of 4–5 m at towing speed and was capable of being fished in a pelagic fashion just off bottom if required. This net also used the 5-m2 USA JET (Model P) combination trawl doors. A Simrad FS3300 third-wire head-rope trawl sonar system was used to monitor and guide the fishing process for all tows. Underwater video observations were conducted on some of the trawls during the final leg of the survey to monitor net performance, catch composition, and species behavior in the net.
Upon retrieval, trawl catches were emptied from the codend into a below-deck hopper and sorted by species off a conveyor belt into baskets. Conventional catch sorting and enumeration procedures were employed to process all catches (Hughes 1976, Weir et al. 1978). However, slight procedural differences existed between U.S. and Canadian scientists that were related to data entry routines and established database requirements. Overall, all catches were sorted completely except for two exceptionally large hauls that were volumetrically estimated for total weight before being subsampled. Total numbers and weights were determined for all species. Aggregate weights were measured to the nearest 0.1 kg for the sorted portions of the catch using an electronic 60-kg capacity motion-compensating scale. Pacific hake were subsampled to determine length composition by sex, to collect otoliths for subsequent age determination, and to collect gonad condition and weight measurements. Fish lengths (fork length) were determined to the nearest centimeter using a polycorder measuring device — a combination of bar code reader and hand-held computer (Sigler 1994). We employed a 6-kg capacity motion-compensating scale to determine all weights of individual fish specimens to the nearest gram. Pacific hake maturity was determined by visual inspection of gonads and classified by either a 5-stage scale (ADP Code Book, 2003, RACE Division, AFSC, Seattle) or a 12-stage scale (PBS, Nanaimo, British Columbia)—the differences in the scaling techniques were inconsequential in that they accomplished an identical distinction between mature and immature individuals, which was the primary goal of this analysis, especially in a nonspawning time of year. Otoliths were preserved in either 50% ethanol or a 1/1 glycerine/freshwater solution with thymol at 0.3% for subsequent age determination.
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In the portion of the survey in Canadian waters, Pacific hake stomach contents of individuals from 1 or 2 tubs from each haul were examined, prey items were identified to the lowest practicable taxon, and the volume of each prey item was estimated visually to the nearest 1 cc. The state of digestion was recorded for each prey item, and any identifiable Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) remains were counted and measured.
Physical Oceanographic Data Collection
Physical oceanographic data were collected to contribute to ongoing investigations of the relationship of environmental covariates to the distribution of Pacific hake. Information was collected to describe ocean temperature, salinity, nutrient levels, and current velocity at the time of the survey.
Vertical profiles of salinity and temperature data were collected with a Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc. SEACAT SBE19 conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) system during acoustic calibration operations and at locations along designated acoustic transects. CTD casts were made along an individual line each night after the cessation of acoustic data collection, usually along the last transect sounded. Cast sites were selected to collect as many observations along the transect as time permitted with the priority to measure at the deep and shallow ends of each line and the deep and shallow edges of the shelf-break (≈250 m contour). Surface nutrients were sampled at most cast locations, and salinity and nutrient samples were usually collected daily from one deep cast (500 m). Temperature and depth profile data were also collected during most trawl hauls by attaching a Sea-Bird temperature/pressure sensor (SBE-39) to the trawl head rope. Ocean current velocity profile data were obtained using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) system. ADCP data were not recorded off the coast of Vancouver Island due to a malfunction.
Acoustic Data Analysis
The range of strata considered for the analysis along each transect included depths from 11 m below the surface (≈6 m below the transducer) to 0.5 m above the detected bottom, or to a depth of 500 m when sea depths exceeded this value. In past surveys, relatively high levels of backscattering attributed to unidentified organisms other than Pacific hake were encountered throughout much of the water column in the Monterey, Eureka, and South Columbia International North Pacific Fisheries Commission (INPFC) statistical areas. An acoustic volume backscattering threshold value of −58.5 dB was applied to the backscattering data in these regions, whereas −69 dB was used for all other areas. The higher threshold was used in the southern areas to avoid including significant quantities of non-hake scatterers in the measured backscatter that would bias subsequent biomass estimates. To maintain consistency, we adopted this convention for 2003, because it has been applied since the 1992 survey (Wilson and Guttormsen 1997, Wilson et al. 2000, Guttormsen et al. 2003).
The first step in the analysis of the acoustic data entailed the identification and delineation of backscatter layers that were attributed to Pacific hake. Echograms of each entire transect were displayed and examined for aggregations of Pacific hake using SonarData
Echoview V. 3.0 software. Display settings reflected the echo-sounder calibration settings at the
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time of acoustic data acquisition. On each display, continuous backscattering layers were demarked and classified as either “hake,” which indicated all backscatter in the region was considered hake, “hake mix,” which indicated that there was a significant amount of backscatter from hake in the region plus other species that were partitioned quantitatively later, or “other,” which indicated that there was no hake backscatter in the region. These classifications were guided by the echo traces and the species compositions observed in the associated trawl catches. Initial scrutiny of echograms took place at sea, usually immediately upon completion of a given transect. A final post-survey review of the echograms, conducted by several of the participating Canadian and U.S. scientists, consisted of examining each echogram and refining the extent and classification of the regions. Each scientist also developed explicit documentation for these decisions. This process was followed by an exchange of assigned transects between U.S. and Canadian scientists to cross-check and validate the echograms and associated documentation in an effort to ensure consistency in the decisions among scientists.
Our acoustic estimates of fish abundance were derived from the application of echo integration theory, where the range-compensated measure of calibrated volume backscattering is assumed to be directly proportional to fish density (Burczynski 1979, Foote 1983). Calculations of the echo integral (mean volume backscattering strength) were made over a specific volume in the vertical direction of a depth stratum in a defined region and averaged in the horizontal direction along each transect. In our application, the integrator output was averaged for the hake backscatter regions within “cells” defined by 10-m vertical depth strata along 0.5-nmi horizontal intervals. Values of mean area backscatter from the EK500 echosounder, termed nautical area scattering coefficient (m2/nmi2) and denoted as sA (MacLennan et al. 2002), were calculated along with related variables by the SonarData Echoview software.
The age-specific population number ( ) and biomass ( ) estimates of Pacific hake were derived from the measured area backscattering for each cell within each echo integration interval and were derived as:
N B
ˆ4
Aa i
i bs
sN Pπσ
⎡ ⎤= ⎢ ⎥⎣ ⎦∑ iaQ A (1)
⎥⎦⎢⎣iaii
bsia 4πσ
⎥⎤
⎢⎡
= ∑ AQWPsB A ˆˆ (2)
where sA is the measured mean area scattering attributed to Pacific hake, bsσ is the expected backscattering cross section (m2) for each particular interval (Appendix B), is the proportion
of hake at length class i, is the predicted mean weight for length class i based on the composite weight-length relation for Pacific hake (regressed as from the 2003 samples), is the proportion of age class a for length interval i derived from the age-length key, and A is the applied linear areal interpolation (typically 0.5 nmi by 10.0 nmi, or
iP
iW144.3)(0037.0ˆ
cmlengthW =
iaQ
8
5 nmi2) for each echo integration interval. For regions we classified as a mixture of species, the sA attributed to hake was apportioned from total sA based on the biomass catch proportion of acoustically detectable species (i.e., not including bladderless or bottom-dwelling fish). This direct ratio or “slider” method assumes equal trawl catchability and identical backscattering properties among Pacific hake and other species.
Pacific hake catches were pooled into analytical groups based on geographic proximity of hauls and on similarity in size compositions as guided by paired comparisons with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (Campbell 1974) (Appendix A). We assigned equal weight to each haul, taking no account of differences in the total catch. The composite length frequency distributions were used for characterizing the hake distributions along each particular transect and were the basis for predicting the expected backscattering cross section ( bsσ ) for Pacific hake based on the relation suggested by Traynor (1996) as:
}10/]log2068{[ ijL+−
68log20 −= LTS
10ijj
bs f∑=σ (3)
for the frequency f of length L of the length class i in composite catch sample j. The Traynor (1996) relation of backscattering to fish size for Pacific hake, given as
dB (4)
where TSdB is target strength in decibels and L is length in centimeters, assumes that backscattering cross section is proportional to the square of the fish length.
The estimates of age-specific biomass for individual cells were summed for each interval, transect, INPFC area or subarea (Dorn 1996), and ultimately a total coast-wide estimate. This technique of linear interpolation at each cell area and subsequent summing to desired area does not allow for propagation of error in the estimates of abundance.
Acoustic System Calibration
The acoustic system was calibrated in the field before, during, and after the survey. The calibration procedure involved suspending copper spheres with known backscattering cross sections below the transducers and measuring the acoustic returns following standard procedures (Foote et al. 1987, MacLennan and Simmonds 1992, SIMRAD 1993). The vessel was anchored during each calibration. Sphere diameters were 60 and 23 mm for the 38- and 120-kHz transducers, respectively. Split-beam target strength and echo integration data were collected to calculate echo-sounder gain parameters and beam pattern as part of the evaluation of system performance. Signal-to-noise measurements were also collected periodically during the survey to monitor the system.
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Results
The 2003 Pacific hake acoustic and trawl survey, initiated 29 June, was completed 1 September and covered the west coast from south of Monterey, California (36.1°N), to the Dixon Entrance area (51.4°N) with a total vessel track line of approximately 18,520 km (10,000 nmi). One hundred fifteen line transects, totaling 6,756 km (3,648 nmi) linear distance surveyed, and 106 trawl samples were completed (Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4).
Calibration
Multiple calibration sessions of the echo sounding systems were conducted. The first, carried out in Departure Bay, Nanaimo, British Columbia, on 24 June was not initially deemed definitive due to instability in the measured signal levels and generally poor signal returns, first thought to be caused by fish. As such, no adjustments were made to either of the transceivers and the system was operated for the first and second legs of the cruise using gain levels as measured the previous February (Table 1). A subsequent unsuccessful attempt at calibration was made in Monterey Bay on 30 June. The poor signal quality observed during these first two calibration attempts was thought to be a result of significant fish interference observed during the calibration sessions, given our assumption that the transducers had been cleaned at dockside in Nanaimo prior to departure. However, diver inspections of the transducers during a scheduled port call in Newport, Oregon, on 22 July found that the EK500 transducers were encrusted with a layer of barnacles, while other hull-mounted transducers and the ram-mounted ADCP unit were clean. The barnacles on the face of the EK500 transducers were identified as acorn barnacles, members of the genus Chthamalus. At this time, the EK500 transducers were cleaned for the remaining portion of the survey with the understanding that a calibration would be conducted at the earliest opportunity. On 6 August in Mayne Bay, in Barkley Sound, the 38-kHz unit was successfully calibrated and gain settings adjusted accordingly (Table 1). The beam pattern was also measured and indicated no significant change from manufacturer’s settings. A fourth calibration was conducted 24 August in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, during an unscheduled crew change. Both transducers were successfully calibrated and results showed that the gain setting for the 38-kHz unit remained stable since the Mayne Bay measurement. The 120-kHz calibration results were within expected levels recorded during previous successful calibrations.
10
Figure 2. Details of acoustic transect lines and locations and haul sequence of midwater and bottom trawls (latter denoted with “b” suffix) during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. Underscored numbers indicate transect sequence.
11
Figure 3. Details of acoustic transect lines and locations and haul sequence of midwater and bottom trawls (latter denoted with “b” suffix) during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. Underscored numbers indicate transect sequence.
12
Figure 4. Details of acoustic transect lines and locations and haul sequence of midwater and bottom trawls (latter denoted with “b” suffix) during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. Underscored numbers indicate transect sequence.
13
Table 1. Calibration sphere measurements performed as part of the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. Range denotes target range, SV denotes volume backscattering, and TS denotes target strength.
Date Location Ambient water
temperature (EC) Freq. (kHz) Range (m)
Sv Gain (dB)
TS Gain (dB)
05 Feb 2003a Pat Bay 38 28.40 26.63 26.85 120 25.70 25.21 25.35 25 Jun 2003 Depart. Bay 10.66 38 22.50 25.96 26.15 120 – – – 05 Aug 2003 Mayne Bay 9.8 38 30.40 26.57 26.75 120 – – – 25 Aug 2003 Prince Rupert 9.6 38 29.90 26.43 26.75 10.2 120 18.63 25.78 25.75 a Results shown are from preceding calibration exercise.
To compensate for the signal loss due to biofouling by the barnacles, we used the calibration sphere backscatter cross section value obtained in Departure Bay to adjust the Sv transducer gain setting as per manufacturer’s specifications. Taking advantage of the features of SonarData Echoview software, rather than the EK 500 software, the region to be echo integrated was restricted to immediately around the sphere to avoid interference from fish targets. The measured sA values were grouped by 100-ping ensembles and compared for consistency. The measured sA value for the calibration sphere with barnacle impedance was compared to the expected value, which is given by
20 )1852(4)(
rrtheorys bs
A⋅⋅⋅
=ψσπ 22
(5)
where ψ is the equivalent two-way beam angle (provided by manufacturer), r0 is the 1-m standard reference distance, bsσ is the expected backscattering cross section of the sphere, and r is the range or distance the sphere is from the transducer. The correction in Sv transducer gain was
(SIMRAD 1993). In our case, the measured sA value of 5,032.5 resulted in a new Sv transducer gain value of 25.96 dB as compared to the original value of 26.63 dB. The new Sv transducer gain value was used for subsequent data processing for the affected portion of the survey. This difference in gain (0.61 dB) translates to an increase in the measured backscatter and resultant
14
15
biomass estimates from the barnacle-covered transducer by a factor of 32% (10(2*0.61 dB)/10 = 1.32). This signal loss was corrected for, but added uncertainty to that portion of the 2003 biomass estimate as a result of this correction. This correction also assumes that the barnacles did not affect the beam pattern.
Biological Sampling
A total of 88 midwater trawls and 18 bottom trawls were conducted during the course of the survey (Table 2, Figures 2, 3, and 4). Trawl durations ranged from 1 to 71 minutes (mean = 21 minutes) and catch weights ranged from 0.1 to 6,818.0 kg (mean = 883.4 kg). Pacific hake was the dominant fish species caught in midwater and bottom trawl hauls, accounting for roughly 79% and 73%, respectively, of catch composition by weight (Tables 3 and 4). Considering other species, most spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias, 97%) were caught in a single tow (haul 10) in the Monterey INPFC area. Four species of rockfish (yellowmouth [Sebastes reedi], chilipepper [S. goodei], Pacific ocean perch [S. alutus], and yellowtail [S. flavidus]) together accounted for almost 8% of midwater catch by weight. Roughly 25% and 74% by weight of Pacific herring caught in midwater trawls were in the North Columbia INPFC area and Canada, respectively. In bottom trawls, five of the top seven bycatch species were rockfish, accounting for 12% of catch by weight. Arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias), Dover sole (Microstomus pacificus), and rex sole (Glyptocephalus zachirus) were the top three flatfish bycatch species. Walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) were caught only in Canadian waters.
Oceanographic Sampling
We collected a total of 232 CTD temperature and salinity profiles at selected points along the line transects and at acoustic system calibration sites (Figure 5). Additional temperature profiles from SBE casts were collected at most trawl stations. From the CTD casts, sea surface temperatures were found to range from 9.1 to 18.1EC during the survey (Figure 5). The coolest surface temperatures (≈10EC) were encountered early in the survey in a restricted area off Point Arena, California (≈39EN). Temperatures increased with latitude to maximum values (≈19EC) in the offshore areas of central Oregon. Temperatures, generally warmer in the offshore areas as compared to near shore, ranged from 17 to 13EC for the northern areas off the U.S. coast. Sea surface temperatures ranged between only 13 and 15EC in waters off the Canadian coast.
Pacific Hake Distribution and Abundance Estimates
Aggregations of Pacific hake were detected along the continental shelf break from just north of San Francisco Bay (38EN) to Queen Charlotte Sound (52EN) (Figure 6). Peak concentrations of Pacific hake were observed in the following general areas: the area spanning north of Cape Mendocino, California (≈40.5EN), to Cape Blanco, Oregon (≈43EN), the area spanning the U.S.-Canadian border off Cape Flattery and La Perouse Bank (≈48.5EN), and in Queen Charlotte Sound (≈51EN). In one instance, hake were found in a single continuous shoal off the coast of Oregon along transect 44 (42.9EN) that extended to waters more than 2,500 m
Table 2. Trawl station and catch data summary from the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast.
CatchHaul INPFC Gear Time Duration Start position Depth (m) Temp. (°C) Pacific hake Otherno.a areab typec Date (GMT) (min.) Latitude Longitude Geard Bottom Geare Surface (kg) Number (kg) 1 mont P 02 Jul 22:16 9 36 58.19 122 27.53 127 229 8.7 13.0 0.0 0 10.0 2 mont Y 03 Jul 15:19 16 37 8.11 122 42.30 196 196 8.5 13.6 0.7 6 484.5 3 mont P 03 Jul 21:04 22 37 18.05 122 48.32 113 161 8.8 13.5 217.6 1,012 1.5 4 mont P 04 Jul 14:41 3 37 38.63 123 4.87 141 428 8.6 12.6 118.5 30,273 0.2 5 mont P 05 Jul 1:48 4 37 58.84 123 28.01 317 410 7.0 10.6 78.7 1,318 380.6 6 mont P 05 Jul 14:21 9 38 8.09 123 33.41 214 757 8.0 10.3 394.0 959 22.4 7 mont Y 05 Jul 19:00 6 38 8.11 123 1.56 66 66 9.1 11.8 958.9 1,419 61.9 8 mont P 06 Jul 14:40 3 38 28.11 123 35.84 142 205 8.3 9.3 123.4 333 981.5 9 mont P 06 Jul 21:11 9 38 38.25 123 47.15 434 647 6.2 10.5 110.5 170 52.0 10
mont P 07 Jul 2:06 7 38 48.12 123 40.51 55 90 8.9 9.5 49.8 71 5,404.211 mont P 07 Jul 14:26 13 38 58.04 123 56.88 118 226 7.8 10.1 1,462.3 2,798 16.812 mont P 07 Jul 19:13 33 39 8.17 124 5.34 270 715 7.1 9.7 595.5 1,243 15.313 mont Y 08 Jul 16:01 3 39 38.06 123 52.63 116 116 8.0 10.5 0.4 27 5.214 mont Y 08 Jul 16:34 20 39 38.00 123 55.38 147 147 7.7 10.0 19.3 140 111.915 mont P 08 Jul 19:45 15 39 48.37 124 6.90 253 561 7.0 10.6 491.1 790 23.016 mont P 08 Jul 20:48 9 39 47.99 124 3.44 158 190 7.6 10.7 232.1 633 357.917 mont P 09 Jul 2:02 9 39 58.30 124 13.51 178 377 7.5 9.8 539.7 1,014 24.618 mont P 09 Jul 19:55 6 40 7.69 124 31.90 110 714 8.2 9.4 4,081.0 8,344 2.719 mont
Table 2. Trawl station and catch data summary from the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. Continued.
CatchHaul INPFC Gear Time Duration Start position Depth (m) Temp. (°C) Pacific hake Other no.a areab typec Date (GMT) (min.) Latitude Longitude Geard Bottom Geare Surface (kg) Number (kg)26 eur P 14 Jul 1:04 21 41 38.04 125 4.55 304 1,260 6.2 14.3 292.1 520 31.827
Table 2. Trawl station and catch data summary from the 2003integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. Continued.
tch CaHaul INPFC Gear Time Duration Start position Depth (m) Temp. (°C) Pacific hake Other no.a areab typec Date (GMT) (min.) Latitude Longitude Geard Bottom Geare Surface (kg) Number (kg) 51 vannc P 29 Jul 1:13 49 46 28.23 124 29.91 153 290 6.9 14.6 1,628.3 2,884 0.1 52 vannc P 29 Jul 15:51 49 46 38.15 124 37.68 116 157 6.9 14.2 5,716.8 10,240 70.4 53 vannc Y 29 Jul 23:55 22 46 48.12 124 30.73 94 94 6.7 14.3 1,583.3 2,799 38.0 54 vannc P 30 Jul 19:49 55 47 7.26 124 52.27 111 150 7.1 15.3 0.0 0 273.7 55 vannc Y 31 Jul 2:06 27 47 18.18 124 51.31 193 193 6.8 14.9 167.4 282 130.9 56 vannc P 31 Jul 14:12 46 47 17.10 125 12.78 247 1,222 6.5 15.4 0.0 0 2.9 57 vannc P 31 Jul 19:46 56 47 28.02 124 47.56 114 209 7.0 13.6 1,792.7 3,031 452.7 58 vannc P 01 Aug 15:48 40 47 48.13 125 1.27 118 179 7.0 14.0 814.7 1,363 290.5 59 vannc Y 01 Aug 17:20 40 47 48.09 124 55.26 109 109 7.0 14.3 610.5 853 167.3 60 vannc P 02 Aug 1:01 71 47 58.02 125 49.52 473 1,133 5.1 15.3 2.5 4 29.8 61 vannc P 02 Aug 16:52 42 48 7.97 125 10.97 114 276 6.7 13.1 1,133.9 1,735 11.3 62 can Y 03 Aug 15:27 39 48 27.34 126 9.58 368 368 5.6 13.4 41.3 64 114.4 63 can Y 03 Aug 16:44 44 48 28.16 126 2.66 185 185 6.6 13.7 310.9 441 213.9 64 can P 04 Aug 1:58 26 48 38.11 125 14.54 65 104 7.3 10.5 2,775.7 3,314 205.8 70 can P 06 Aug 19:35 15 48 32.99 125 18.53 68 111 6.9 12.8 0.0 0 5.6 73 can P 06 Aug 22:32 3 48 32.85 125 32.73 77 122 6.8 11.8 453.4 687 11.3 91 can Y 08 Aug 15:05 1 48 58.25 125 42.21 72 72 – – 0.0 0 17.4 92 can P 08 Aug 15:40 15 48 58.17 125 41.92 34 74 – – 0.0 0 46.1 97 can P 08 Aug 21:13 2 48 58.11 126 29.05 100 163 7.0 7.4 775.3 1,220 12.7 98 can P 09 Aug 21:14 2 48 30.93 125 33.68 61 100 6.9 – 107.0 139 189.2 99 can P 09 Aug 22:37 1 48 34.43 125 34.21 87 99 7.0 – 213.8 271 32.3 102
can P 10 Aug 16:52 4 48 38.36 125 7.88 38 82 8.6
8.9 2,700.0 2,213 137.3104 can P 10 Aug 20:57 4 48 33.33 125 5.09 67 107 – 8.4
0.0 0 2,040.0
115 can Y 12 Aug 17:55 15 48 46.46 125 24.70 96 96 7.6 – 750.6 848 271.1124 can P 13 Aug 21:40 13 49 7.82 126 57.67 350 600 5.9 14.6 4.4 6 17.8
18
Table 2. Trawl station and catch data summary from the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. Continued.
ch CatHaul INPFC Gear Time Duration Start position Depth (m) Temp. (°C) Pacific hake Other no.a areab typec Date (GMT) (min.) Latitude Longitude Geard Bottom Geare Surface (kg) Number (kg)128 can P 14 Aug 17:45 28 49 28.17 126 51.63 60 90 8.3 15.3 0.0 0 41.9131
can P 14 Aug 21:30 26 49 29.00 127 15.10 200 300 6.9 15.3 2.3 3 891.6133 can P 15 Aug 14:56 9 49 59.65 127 13.07 135 230 7.4 16.8 229.3 710 13.0138 can P 15 Aug 20:47 4 49 48.19 127 42.26 130 650 6.7 14.8 0.0 0 10.0139 can P 15 Aug 21:28 15 49 48.16 127 40.84 130 250 6.7 14.9
368.7 511 149.8
140 can P 16 Aug 0:25 30 49 58.15 127 46.54 150 500 6.6 – 415.5 604 78.4144 can P 16 Aug 18:48 23 50 18.16 128 16.16 200 450 6.6 15.7 6,811.0 11,141 7.0148 can P 17 Aug 16:43 30 50 39.91 128 55.82 250 400 6.2 13.8 33.4 52 13.0149 can P 17 Aug 20:31 19 50 48.20 129 26.96 250 700 6.8 16.6 696.3 1,198 256.0152 can P 18 Aug 17:18 6 51 7.95 128 13.76 100 155 6.6 12.1 0.0 0 85.2158 can P 21 Aug 15:01 12 51 8.03 129 14.89 165 195 6.5 15.3 1,187.5 1,574 34.8159 can Y 21 Aug 17:14 17 51 7.94 129 30.48 280 280 5.7 15.1 98.3 – 281.6160 can P 22 Aug 1:07 20 51 18.14 129 35.44 185 225 6.0 15.6 2.7 4 0.6161 can P 22 Aug 2:25 9 51 18.11 129 42.31 194 230 5.9 15.6 412.7 593 3,670.3162 can P 22 Aug 14:42 3 51 18.26 129 23.18 160 260 6.0 14.0 315.4 457 4.1163 can P 22 Aug 20:58 9 51 28.12 128 27.21 130 190 6.1 15.0 2,081.5 2,651 11.3164 can P 23 Aug 23:31 22 52 17.62 130 11.87 460 490 4.8 14.6 0.0 0 21.4165 can P 24 Aug 21:52 46 53 28.57 130 46.37 130 162 6.3 13.1 0.0 0 12.7166 can P 26 Aug 14:58 6 54 19.30 131 31.48 72 167 7.3 12.7 0.0 0 399.1167 can Y 26 Aug 22:42 12 54 15.42 132 6.28 150 150 5.6 13.2 0.0 0 376.0169 can P 27 Aug 16:33 15 54 42.08 133 9.43 156 200 5.9 11.9 0.0 0 53.1174 can P 28 Aug 17:11 17 54 9.19 133 20.56 214 228 5.5 13.4 0.0 0 19.8175 can P 28 Aug 21:11 5 53 50.52 133 31.97 290 600 5.4 15.0 0.0 0 2.5176 can P 28 Aug 23:24 1 53 48.22 133 17.71 145 167 6.4 15.4 0.0 0 1.8177 can P 29 Aug 18:54 33 53 3.30 132 38.32 190 250 5.9 14.1 0.0 0 0.3
19
20
Table 2. Trawl station and catch data summary from the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. Continued.
CatchHaul INPFC Gear Time Duration Start position Depth (m) Temp. (°C) Pacific hake Other no.a areab typec Date (GMT) (min.) Latitude Longitude Geard Bottom Geare Surface (kg) Number (kg)178 can P 30 Aug 21:17 19 51 48.62 130 31.06 220 275 5.5 15.6 0.0 0 0.1179
can P 30 Aug 23:41 36 51 48.13 130 19.33 190 227 5.6 15.6 0.0 0 16.0180 can P 31 Aug 23:06 17 51 28.01 129 54.79 215 250 5.9 14.1 159.7 218 118.0181 can P 01 Sep 0:55 30 51 28.03 129 57.71 315 350 5.7 14.4 222.7 281 29.2182 can P 01 Sep 18:21 19 51 18.25 130 1.39 300 325 6.0 15.6 88.4 119 4.8183 can P 02 Sep 0:54 3 50 58.06 129 33.83 200 240 6.4 15.7 60.1 82 33.0
a Not necessarily sequential. Haul operations for other sampling requirements not shown. b mont = Monterey, eur = Eureka, scol = South Columbia, vannc = Vancouver - North Columbia, can = Canada. c P = Polish rope midwater trawl, Y = Yankee 36 hard bottom trawl. d Gear depths for midwater trawls were measured at the head rope. e Gear temperatures were measured at the head rope.
Table 3. Catch by species from Polish rope midwater trawl hauls conducted by the CCGS W. E. Ricker during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. A total of 88 hauls were completed.
Table 3. Catch by species from Polish rope midwater trawl hauls conducted by the CCGS W. E. Ricker during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. A total of 88 hauls were completed. Continued.
Table 3. Catch by species from Polish rope midwater trawl hauls conducted by the CCGS W. E. Ricker during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. A total of 88 hauls were completed. Continued.
Table 4. Catch by species from Yankee 36 bottom trawl hauls conducted by the CCGS W. E. Ricker during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. A total of 18 hauls were completed.
Table 4. Catch by species from Yankee 36 bottom trawl hauls conducted by the CCGS W. E. Ricker during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. A total of 18 hauls were completed. Continued.
Table 4. Catch by species from Yankee 36 bottom trawl hauls conducted by the CCGS W. E. Ricker during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast. A total of 18 hauls were completed. Continued.
Figure 5. Surface temperature contours (EC) and locations (C) of temperature and salinity profile measurements taken during the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast.
Figure 6. Acoustic area backscattering (sA) attributed to Pacific hake along transects completed off the west coast of the United States and Canada during the joint 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey. Diameter of circles is proportional to measured values of backscatter. Isobaths are plotted at 50, 200, 700, and 1,500 m.
28
29
deep and 20 nmi farther offshore than seen previously in this area. By contrast, no hake were found north of transects 98 and 119 in Queen Charlotte Sound (52EN). Geographic details and abundance estimates of Pacific hake for each transect are listed in Appendix B.
As revealed by the associated midwater and bottom trawl samples, the majority of the coastal Pacific hake population comprised fish that were highly uniform in size distribution, averaging 44 cm (Figure 7). The exception was in the most southern (lower numbered) transects where smaller individuals were locally encountered. Larger Pacific hake were more prevalent farther north (Figure 7). Pacific hake specimens collected in the trawls ranged in age from 1 to 22 years (Figure 8). However, the size classes of Pacific hake that dominated the catches throughout their entire range represented members of the 1999 year class (age 4).
The coast-wide estimates of Pacific hake abundance totaled 3.35 billion fish weighing 1.84 million metric tons (Tables 5 and 6). As expected from the age and length distribution, the population was dominated by age-4 fish (Figure 9, Tables 5 and 6). The 1999 year class contributed about 64% of the total coast-wide number and 60% of the total coast-wide biomass. The 1999 year class was prevalent across all regions (Figure 9), contributing 55%, 74%, 74%, 58%, and 33% to the total biomass for the Monterey, Eureka, South Columbia, Vancouver-North Columbia, and Canada INPFC areas, respectively. The recruitment of the 1999 year class and the resulting increase in coast-wide biomass are significant: the 2003 biomass estimate of 1.84 million metric tons represents a 1.1 million metric ton or 250% increase over the biomass estimate made for 2001 (Figure 10). The 2003 estimate ranks as the fifth largest coast-wide estimate in the time series, and is the largest estimated population biomass of coastal Pacific hake since 1992.
Figure 7. Box-and-whisker plot of the length-frequency distributions of Pacific hake for trawl tows conducted as part of the 2003 joint U.S. and Canada integrated acoustic and trawl survey. Length frequency distributions are shown in sequence and include only those tows that captured Pacific hake. The central box indicates the range of fish lengths in the upper and lower quartiles, with the median represented by the horizontal line in the box. The whiskers extend to 1.5 times the interquartile range, or approximately the 1 and 99 percentiles, and outliers are shown as open circles for each haul.
Figure 8. Age-length distribution of Pacific hake comparing INPFC areas from specimens collected during the 2003 joint U.S. and Canada integrated acoustic and trawl survey. Ages based on interpretation of otoliths.
Monterey Eureka S. Columbia Vancouver - N.ColumbiaCanada
Figure 9. Estimated biomass (metric tons) of Pacific hake by age class comparing INPFC areas for the 2003 joint U.S. and Canada integrated acoustic and trawl survey.
32
Year
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Biom
ass
(Met
ric T
ons
x 10
6 )
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
Figure 10. Biomass estimates (millions of metric tons) of Pacific hake, 1977–2003. Estimates for 1977–1989 are adjusted as described in Dorn (1996) to account for changes in target strength model, depth, and geographic coverage. Biomass estimates since 1992 are based on the 20 log L–68 target strength relation used by Wilson and Guttormsen (1997). For consistency, biomass shown is for fish age 2 and older across time series.
33
Table 5. Estimated biomass (metric tons) of Pacific hake by age for each INPFC area for the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast.
Total 209,439.4 504,787.7 366,834.3 387,900.0 373,665.4 1,842,626.7
34
Table 6. Estimated numbers of Pacific hake by age for each INPFC area for the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters off the Pacific coast.
Total 458,236,924 983,536,090 714,745,463 674,759,380 523,208,587 3,354,486,444
35
Discussion
Our understanding of the level of abundance of Pacific hake was changed by this survey, with the 2003 estimate representing a reverse in the recent declining trend in coastal hake biomass. This result also supports the decision to advance the survey to a biennial regimen. Clearly, the increase from the 2001 estimated coast-wide biomass can be attributed almost entirely to recruitment of the 1999 year class. The unprecedented low estimate of Pacific hake in 2001 was the combined result of a nearly complete lack of hake being detected north of central Oregon (i.e., north of 44EN) and the predominance in the population (≈50% total biomass) of young fish of the 1999 year class (Guttormsen et al. 2003), which as age-2 fish were only partially recruited to the survey (Helser et al. 2002). In 2003 the Pacific hake population was again dominated by the 1999 year class, but was fully available to the survey and was distributed in more typical fashion along the coast (Figure 6). The 2001 and 2003 acoustic surveys were similar in that 80% and 86%, respectively, of the total hake biomass occurred south of 47E30'N (i.e., Monterey, Eureka, and Columbia INPFC areas). However, the biomass in Canadian waters changed dramatically from the last survey, as only about 10% of the biomass was observed in these waters in 2001, as compared to 33% in 2003.
In an initial attempt to address the uncertainty associated with the coast-wide Pacific hake biomass estimate, we analyzed the transect biomass data applying the technique of Jolly and Hampton (1990) to a post-survey stratification scheme. Transects were treated as sampling units. We stratified the line transects using a local regression (loess) smoothing technique, a generalization of running means, to guide the clustering of neighboring transects of similar values. The biomass estimates for the individual transects were plotted in geographic sequence and the modes revealed from the loess plot were used to cluster the individual transects into similar groups. For each cluster, the mean and variance of the hake biomass density (mt/nmi2) and the corresponding total area (nmi2) were calculated. Subsequently, the total biomass ( ) and variance ( ) were estimated as
B)ˆ(BVar
∑ ⋅= ˆˆ )( ApB
))ˆ(()ˆ( 2ApVarBVar ⋅= ∑ (7)
where ( p ) is the mean estimated biomass density and (A) is the total represented area for each transect cluster. The coefficient of variation (CV), the measure of precision of the estimate, totaled 0.37 for the coast-wide Pacific hake biomass (Table 7). This level of precision does not include all error, but does provide some understanding of the expectation for the level of process error involved in the survey. It should be noted that the total biomass point estimate determined
36
with the post-survey stratification technique was within 2% of the value calculated by the traditional summing method (Table 6).
Table 7. Biomass sampling error (CV) based on post-survey stratification of transects for the 2003 integrated acoustic and trawl survey of Pacific hake, where p is the mean biomass density (mt/nmi2), A is the total represented area for each transect cluster (nmi2) , and is the estimated biomass (mt). Transect groups used in stratification are shown in parentheses for each transect cluster (A–H).
B
Strata statistics Transect clusters p )ˆ( pVar A B CV A (3-14) 4.27 94.18 2,588.60 11,053 2.27 B (15-25) 37.61 3,138.26 2,462.14 92,612 1.49 C (26-33) 62.72 1,667.68 2,377.32 149,112 0.65 D (34-50) 98.93 4,496.43 6,607.18 653,647 0.68 E (51-68) 36.29 561.94 7,982.18 289,686 0.65 F (69-81) 49.60 739.25 6,759.29 335,230 0.55 G (82-98) 82.86 10,989.43 4,082.49 338,265 1.27 H (99-119) 0.27 1.58 3,623.92 993 4.58 Coast wide 1,870,601 0.37
37
38
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Appendix A
Table A-1. Analytical groups of transects, hauls, and composite mean length and expected mean backscattering cross section values ( bsσ ) for pooled hauls used to characterize the Pacific hake along corresponding transects.
* Denotes transects where subsections which were assigned to different groups owing to differences in Pacific hake size or distribution patterns.
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Appendix B
Table B-1. Individual transect coordinates (decimal degrees), length, corresponding area, and estimated Pacific hake population numbers ( ) and biomass ( ) in metric tons. N B
Table B-1. Individual transect coordinates (decimal degrees), length, corresponding area, and estimated Pacific hake population numbers ( ) and biomass ( ) in metric tons. Continued. N B
Table B-1. Individual transect coordinates (decimal degrees), length, corresponding area, and estimated Pacific hake population numbers ( ) and biomass ( ) in metric tons. Continued. N B
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